In a stunning turn of events, an Irish resident has emerged as the lucky winner of a life-changing sum of over €1 million in a special EuroMillions Ireland Only Raffle. The remarkable windfall, totalling €1,005,000, was awarded as part of a limited promotional draw that occurs just a few times each year. This time, the draw took place on Friday night, and the coveted winning ticket was purchased in the vibrant city of Cork.
Lotto authorities have been quick to confirm the incredible news but have held back the name of the specific store where the winning ticket was bought. The location is set to be disclosed on Sunday, May 19. In the interim, the National Lottery is urging all EuroMillions players in Rebel County to inspect their tickets with heightened care. The winning ticket could be in anyone’s hands, holding a sum that could fundamentally transform their life.
Issuing recommendations for the fortunate winner, the National Lottery advises them to immediately sign the back of the ticket and to store it securely. To initiate the claim process for the €1,005,000 prize, the winner is encouraged to contact the prize claims team at 1800 666 222 or via email at [email protected]. Arrangements will then be made for the winner to visit Lotto HQ to collect their impressive prize.
Speaking on the highly-anticipated draw, National Lottery spokesperson Sarah Orr highlighted the scale of the winnings achieved by Irish punters. She stated, “Friday night’s draw saw over 45,000 players in Ireland win prizes across the EuroMillions and EuroMillions Plus draws, with a Cork player officially becoming the biggest winner of the night after scooping €1,005,000 in the special Ireland Only Raffle. We are appealing to all of our players in the Cork area to make sure to check their tickets carefully today, especially the Raffle codes, as one player has a life-changing prize waiting to be claimed.”
Orr further reiterated the immediate actions needed for the winner, stating: “The first thing the winner should do is sign the back of their ticket and keep it safe. They should then make contact with our prize claims team, who will make arrangements for them to visit Lotto HQ to collect their incredible prize.”
For those who were not so fortunate, the lottery weekend is far from over. Orr remarked that for players dreaming of more wins, Saturday night’s Lotto jackpot was projected to roll towards an estimated €2.
.5 million. Tickets for the draw can still be purchased nationwide in-store, through the National Lottery app, and online at www.lottery.ie, until the cut-off time of 7:45 PM on the evening of the draw.
The mechanics of the EuroMillions Ireland Only Raffle involve each EuroMillions ticket holder in Ireland receiving a unique nine-character IOR (Ireland Only Raffle) code comprising four letters and five numbers. For every EuroMillions draw in the country, 10 Irish players are automatically chosen to win €5,000 each based on these codes. However, on special draw dates like Friday’s, an extraordinary additional €1 million is awarded to one of these 10 winners.
The winning code for the €1,005,000 prize this time around was I-QQN-12284. Lotto officials are urging anyone who played EuroMillions this week to verify their tickets, as they might be holding the golden ticket.
Despite there being no jackpot winner in the EuroMillions draw, over 45,000 Irish players captured various prizes in the main EuroMillions and Plus games. These include the lucky Ireland Only Raffle winner and another sizable win, where a EuroMillions punter from Co Laois claimed a top prize of €500,000. This winning ticket was purchased at the Daybreak store on Main Street, Borris in Ossary.
Additionally, a thrilled online player from Kilkenny collected their EuroMillions Plus top prize of €500,000 at Lotto HQ this week. Recounting their experience, the Kilkenny winner confessed that they knew of their win almost immediately after the April 26 draw but managed to keep it under wraps.
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